Sea horse pulling unit



A.- K. FLOREZ 3,507,244 SEA HORSE PULLING UNIT April 21, 1970 2Sheets-Shem, 1

FiLed Feb. 2, 1968 I N VEN TOR AVLSL IN KIMBRELL FL 0RZ April 21, 1970A. K.'FLOREZ 'SEA HORSE PULLING UNIT Filed Feb 2, les

2 Sheets-Sheei 56 26 EEE 5.9 @EEEEEE Eiii m w w m Al/ESL/NE K/MBRELLFLO/P52 United States Patent Office 3,507,244 Patented Apr. 21, 19703,507,244 SEA HORSE PULLIN G UNIT Avesline Kimbrell Florez, 3920 E.Hardy Drive, Tucson, Ariz. 85716 Filed Feb. 2, 1968, Ser. No. 703,237Int. Cl. B63h N34 US. Cl. 115-63 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Amarine propulsion system consists of two pulling units, each comprisinga gear belt running in a vertical orbit positioned in a longitudinalchannel in the bottom of the hull of a ship, one unit to starboard andthe other to port. The hull bottom also has a longitudinal centralconcavity running from bow to stern. The gear belts have gear teeth onthe inner surface and many scoops, closely spaced, on the outer surface.Each belt is driven by a number of toothed drums positioned within thebelt orbit and meshed with the belt at both upper and lower orbit limbs.Each drum is driven by an individual electric motor. The scoops drawwater from the bow and impel it toward the stern and toward the centralcavity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to marine propulsionsystems.

Modern ships are usually driven by one or more propellers of the screwtype located at or near the stern. The propellers are driven by one orseveral large prime movers. Vibration in these large units is frequentlyconsiderable, and precise and rapid control of the power developed by alarge prime mover may be difficult.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is for use on ships of any size,including the largest. The invention provides a hull bottom containing alongitudinal central slot or channel, concave downward. The bottom alsohas a pair of keels extending downward from the sides of the hull. Thebottom also contains a pair of longitudinal propulsion channels, eachone lying between a keel and the central concavity and extending for theentire length of the bottom.

The invention provides two similar endless belts, one in eachlongitudinal propulsion channel, each rotating in a vertical orbit, atleast the lower limb of the orbit being below water. :Each belt isprovided with a number of scoops attached to the external surface, thescoops being angled so that, as the belt rotates, the scoops in thelower limb of the orbit impel water both toward the stern and inwardtoward the longitudinal center line of the bottom and into the centralslot.

Thus, as the scoops push the water sternward, the reaction on the beltmay be said to pull the ship forward.

Water intake is at the forward ends of the two longitudinal propulsionchannels, which may therefore be termed intake ports.

The inner surfaces of the belts are provided with teeth, thus forminggear belts. Each belt is supported and driven by a plurality of tootheddrums meshing with the belt; each drum is driven by an individualelectric motor. All motors of each belt are controlled in concert andare driven by a prime mover such as a steam turbine connected to analternating current generator.

One object of this invention is to provide a propulsion system whichreduces turbulence below that inherent in screw propeller systems. Thisis a result of the much greater coupling from machine to water due tothe many scoops simultaneously in contact with the water. Reduction ofturbulence and maintenance of laminar flow improve efliciency.

Another object of this invention is to improve control by employingmany, relatively small electric motors, easier to control than verylarge units, and by making the two belts separately controllable.

Another object of this invention is to reduce or eliminate yibrationbecause, instead of one to four large screw propellers, the coupling tothe water is provided by a large number of slowly-moving scoops.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING A further understanding of theinvention may be secured from the detailed description and the drawing,in which:

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of the hull of a ship designed to contain a pairof the pulling units of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a bow elevation of the hull shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of one pulling unit.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the pulling unit of FIG. 3, viewed from above.

FIG. 5 is a cross section of the pulling unit on the line 55, FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, theview shows a bow, 11,

5 and a stern 12. A longitudinal center channel or slot, 13,

concave downward, has the profile shown at 13 in FIG. 2. This channelruns from how to stern. Two keels, 14 and 16, FIGS. 1 and 2, extenddownward from the sides of the hull. Between keel 14 and channel 13there is provided a longitudinal propulsion channel, 17, extending frombow to stem and having a downwardly concave cross section as shown inFIG. 2. The bow end of this propulsion channel, 18, may be termed itsintake port. An identical longitudinal propulsion channel, 19, with in-5 take port 21, is provided between keel 16 and the center of the belt.The belt carries a plurality of scoops, 27, each scoop extending notquite the full width of the belt, leaving a space on each side betweenthe end of the scoop and the edge of the belt. Each scoop is obliquelypositioned on the belt and has a concave surface which, in

50 the lower limb of the orbit, faces both toward the stern and towardthe longitudinal center channel.

The belt is provided with two tensioning idlers, 28 and 29, eachprovided with gear teeth meshing with the gear 'belt. Each tensioningidler is adjustable and holds the belt taut by tension of springs, asindicated at 31 and 32.

Within the orbit of the belt there are a plurality of drums, indicatedin FIG. 3 by the five drums 33, 34, 36, 37 and 38. These drums arespaced closely together. Each drum has a length substantially equal tothe belt width, and carries on its periphery teeth extendinglongitudinally of the drum for its entire length. These teeth aredesigned to mesh with the belt teeth and the drum diameter is such thatthe drum teeth mesh with the gear belt in boh the upper and lower limbsof the orbit. Each drum is individually driven by an electric motor, asindicated at 39, 41, 42, 43 and 44. All of the motors of a pulling unitare preferably controlled in concert.

Between each drum, in the lower limb of the belt orbit, there is anidler drum, indicated at 46, 47, 48 and 49. These idler drums have astheir function the prevention of too much water pressure going to thetop of the unit and also the support of the lower limb of the belt. Inorder to accomplish these functions it is preferable that both the drumteeth and the idler drum teeth are of the female type, each tooth beinga recess into which a tooth of the gear belt can fit. Each idler drumcan then be faced over its cylindrical surface, except at the femaletooth recesses, with a rubber-like material, thus producing a partialwater seal at the contact between each idler drum and drum.

Between each pair of drums, and above the upper limb of the belt, thereare smooth-faced idler rollers ,as indicated at 51, 52, S3, 54, 56, 57,58 and 59. These rollers are positioned in the spaces between the endsof the scoops and the edges of the belt. Their function is to hold thebelt in position, geared to the the drums in the upper limb of theorbit. These idler rollers are preferably adjustable.

I claim:

1. The combination of a marine ship having a waterline and at least onepair of similar pulling units comprising a ships hull having a concavityin its bottom forming a longitudinal center channel;

a pair of keels extending equally downward from the sides of said hull;

a pair of longitudinal propulsion channels, each lying between one saidkeel and said concavity, each said channel being defined by a watertightinclosed box;

a pair of pulling units disposed one in each said propulsion channel,said pair of pulling units being matched in power and speed;

each said pulling unit comprising an endless belt rotatable in an orbithaving a vertical plane parallel to the ships lubber line, the lowerlimb of said orbit being below said waterline;

said belt carrying gear tooth means on its inner surface across itswidth;

scoops secured to the outer surface of said belt;

tensing drums carrying matching teeth at the ends of said orbit;

a plurality of drums carrying matching teeth, said drums beingpositioned within said orbit and meshing with said belt for bothsupporting and powering said belt; and

an electric motor for each of said drums, each electric motorindividually powering one drum, whereby the belt is so moved that in itslower limb said scoops impel water sternward.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which each of said plurality of drumsmeshes with said belt at both the lower and upper limbs of said orbit,and further comprising control means for powering equally the electricmotors of all of said drums.

The combination of claim 1 in which said scoops are placed at an acuteangle to the ships lubber line vertical plane whereby in the lower limbthe scoops not only impel water toward the stern but also inward towardsaid concavity, and whereby one side of each scoop pushes the water andthe other side exerts a sucking, pulling effect on the water, both sidescooperating to impel the water sternward and by reaction to impel theship forward.

4. The combination of claim 1 comprising a plurality of idler rollerssmaller than said drums, one of the idler rollers being positionedbetween each pair of said drums and in contact with both drums of thepair, said idler roller being also in contact with the inner face ofsaid belt in the lower limb of its orbit, the contacts between idlerroller and drums being between rubber-like material surfaces,cylindrically shaped, and the contact between idler roller and beltbeing gear-tooth-meshed.

5. The combination of a marine ship having a waterline and at least onepair of similar pulling units comprising a ships hull having a concavityin its bottom forming a longitudinal center channel;

a pair of keels extending equally downward from the sides of said hull;

a pair of longitudinal propulsion channels each lying between one saidkeel and said concavity, each said channel being defined by a watertightinboard box;

at least one pair of pulling units, each pair being disposed one in eachsaid propulsion channel, said pair of pulling units being matched inpower and speed;

each said pulling unit comprising an endless belt rotatable in an orbitin a vertical plane parallel to the ships lubber line, said orbit beingelongated fore and aft, said orbit having an upper limb, and a lowerlimb below said waterline, said belt carrying gear tooth means on itsinner surface across its width;

scoops secured to the outer surface of said belt, said scoops 'beingplaced at an acute angle to the ships lubber line whereby in said lowerlimb the scoops not only impel water sternward but also inward towardsaid concavity;

two tensing drums carrying belt-matching teeth within said orbit at itsends;

at least two drums carrying belt-matching teeth across the face of eachdrum except for a strip at each end of each drum which is cylindricallyfaced with a rubber-like material, said drums being positioned withinsaid orbit and meshing with said belt at both said upper limb and saidlower limb, whereby the belts lower limb is supported against waterpressure and scoop thrust and whereby the belt is powered through bothlower limb contact and upper limb contact, and whereby the belt is somoved that in its lower limb said scoops impel water sternward;

at least two electric motors equal in number to the number of saiddrums, one of each said motors being connected for driving one of eachsaid drums;

means controlling all of said electric motors in concert; and

idler rollers smaller than said drums but of the same length, each idlerroller carrying gear teeth substantially througout its length exceptingportions at each end cylindrically faced with a rubber-like material,one idler roller being positioned between each pair of said drums and inrolling contact with both at a rubber-like material contact face, andalso in meshing contact with the inner face of said belt in its lowerlimb.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,306,072 12/ 1942 Messingerll5-64 2,705,470 4/1955 Baker et al -64 3,013,520 12/ 1961 Buckelewll563 ANDREW H. FARRELL, Primary Examiner

